Curtain-hanging apparatus.



Wm 4 v /o 0 4 No. 876,405 PATENTED JAN. 14, 1908.

u T. E. SHEVILL.

CURTAIN HANGING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10. 1906.

INVENTOR ym. I #KM M 1n: NoRms PETERS cu, wasmrvcnm. D. c.

I ing, forming in effect a curtain-rod, sup- UNITED STATES THOMAS E. SHEVILL,

or NEW YORK, N. Y.

CURTAIN-HANGING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14:, 1908.

Application filed November 10. 1905- Serial No. 286.642.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TnonAs E. SHEVILL, a citizen of the United States, residing in the j borough of Brooklyn, city of New York, in I the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Curtain-Hanging Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to means for suspending draperies, and more particularly light ornamental stui'fs such as lace curtains.

The object of the invention is to provide a suspending means which shall be attractive in appearance, permit the curtains to be easily and quickly introduced and adjusted, with any surplus in length neatly disposed and concealed, and especially adapted for the reception and ready adjustment and arrangement of the double curtains frequently employed.

The invention consists in certain novel features, details of construction and arrange ment of parts by which the above objects are attained, to be hereinafter described.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification and show an approved form of the invention.

Figure 1 is a plan or top view of the apparatus before the introduction of the curtains. Fig. 2 is a corresponding vertical transverse section, taken on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1, but showing a portion of a curtain in place. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 25-3 in Fig. 2, partly in plan view and without a curtain. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a portion of the apparatus with. two curtains therein lapped one upon the other at their inner or adjacent margins, and F 5 is a vertical section corresponding to the preceding figure, the plane of section being indicated by the line 55 thereon.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

A and A are bars of wood or other suitable material extending transversely of the upper portion of the window, door or other openported at the ends in sockets or apertures I) b in brackets B B secured to the window-frame by screws or otherwise. The curtains M M are suspended from the bars, being received therein and held frictionally as will be described.

The brackets are of metal sufficiently elastic to permit their forcible separation in introducing the bars, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, and each is provided on the outer face with an ornamental cap O, hiding the ends of the bars and held in place by the engagement of the lugs B B on the brackets with holes 0 c in the caps.

Screws or pins A set radially in the bars near their ends are received in notches in cam-like projections B on the brackets and serve to hold the bars against revolving and endwise movements. The screws may also serve with or without other fastening means in securing the bars together at the ends.

The bars A and A are preferably each seg mental in crossseetion, making a complete cylinder when applied together, the line of separation formed by their adjacent plane faces being a chord, whereby one bar is heavier than the other, the heavier A lying normally below the lighter bar A, and the adjacent plane faces forming the line of the chord extends from a point in the upper semi-oircuinference of the circle rearwardly and downwardly to a point in or near the lower semi-circuinference, as shown in the drawings.

,ln hanging the curtain its upper edge is passed over the bar A from the front and between the bars from the rear, the bars being sprung apart to permit the insertion, drawn through to the front and following the cylindrical surface of the bars lies beneath the main portion of the curtain, the friction due to the contact of the two portions of the our tain thus conditioned aided by the sharp bend about the rear edge of the bar A holds the curtain reliably, and any downward strain increases the tension and is successfully resisted; conversely by lifting the main por tion of the curtain out of contact with the clamped portion the tension is relaxed and any adjustment as to length of the depending portion and also any lateral adjustment may be easily effected. I

Any considerable excess of length which otherwise would hang in rear of the main curtain and detract from the appearance is attractive appearance.

grasped at the end. between two clampingrods D D, held in strong contact by the loops D I) encircling the ends of both, and rolled or wound thereon, preferably in reverse direction to the path around the bars A A so that the portion of the excess extending tangentially from the lower face of the bar A shall extend to the lower face of the roll D thus formed, which is then placed in rear of the bars and is supported by the engagement of the projecting ends of the rods in notches b I) in the brackets, the notches being so shaped as to hold the roll against unwinding. Thus conditioned the excess is neatly and conveniently disposed of and effectually hidden from view.

In order to further conceal the roll D, the notches b b are elevated so as to hold the rods D D somewhat above the bars A A in such relation to the latter that unless the surplus length be excessive, the portion between the bar A and roll D will extend in an upward inclination less liable to observation by persons in the room.

So far as yet described the bars A A may have a single slit or narrow opening between them in which the curtain is received, and if double curtains are to be hung the overlapping margins will lie one upon the other in such single opening. The apparatus may be thus used successfully but the adjustment of the two curtains individually, sidewise and vertically, is diflicult by reason of the friction and entanglement of. the overlapping surfaces; tending to displace" one curtain in adjusting the other. To obviate this diffi culty a thin strip F of wood, metal or other material extending longitudinally is placed between the plane faces of the bars A and A and held at the ends by the same screws or nails that hold the bars together, thus forming two narrowly separated slits each adapt ed to receive a curtain. The two curtains are introduced as before but each in its own opening and both may be adjusted, as to length and the extent of overlap, independently without interference. Any excess length is concealed as before on the rods D D The apparatus is simple, inexpensive, easily applied and operated, and presents an The caps C C covering the projecting portions of the brackets and the ends of the bars and rods, may be ornamented as desired.

Although I have described the bars as held stationary in the brackets, and the introduction of the curtains as practiced with the bars thus conditioned, it will be understood that the brackets may be readily sprung apart to release the pins A A and permit the bars to be partially revolved to present the slits or narrow openings as may be desired, and again turned to place after the introduction of the curtains, or the bars may be wholly separated from the brackets if deemed desirable. The exact disposition of the curtains is facilitated by arranging them as desired with the bars in the position they are intended normally to occupy.

Modifications may be made in the forms and proportions of the parts without departing from the principle or sacrificing the advantages of the invention, and parts may be used without the whole. As indicated above, the strip or partition F may be omitted and two curtains inserted in the single opening between the bars.

Other means for disposing of and concealing the excess length of the curtain or ourtains may be employed or the loose ends may hang inthe rear of the main portions.

I attach importance to the transverse inclination of the slit or opening in relation to the outer surface of the bars whereby the frictional contact of the surfaces of the cur-.

tain tending to move in opposite direction under downward strain on the main portion, is increased by such strain and thus resisted.

Although I have described the bars A A as segmental, forming together a cylindrical support, and consider such form preferable, it will be understood that the cross-section may be octagonal, hexagonal or other form, and the angular inclination of the slits or openings between the bars, when in position, may be varied, inducing a corresponding variation in the area of the frictionally contacting surfaces of the curtain and thereby increasing or decreasing the resistance to strain.

I claim 1. In a curtain-hanging apparatus, a pair of bars having plane fiat adjacent faces, a flat plane-faced partition between said adjacent faces, said bars and partition adapted to hold a curtain in flat contact with and between them, brackets in which said bars are supported, clamping-rods adapted to graspthe end of a curtain and receive the excess length in a roll thereon, sockets on said brackets to receive said rods and support them and said roll, and caps on the exterior faces-0f said brackets, serving to cover the latter and the ends of said bars and rods.

2. In a curtain-hanging apparatus, a pair of bars having plane flat adjacent faces, a flat planefaced partition between said adjacent faces, saidbars and partition adapted to hold a curtain in flat contact with and between them, brackets in which said bars are supported, clamping-rods adapted to grasp the end of a curtain and receive the excess length in a roll thereon, sockets on said brackets arranged to receive said rods and support them and said roll, and fixed means extending laterally from one of said bars to engage fixed means on said brackets and constructed to prevent turning of said rods therein.

3. In a curtain-hanging apparatus, a air of bars having plane faces applied toget er, brackets having apertures in which the ends of said bars are received, cam-surfaces on the inner faces of said brackets, a notch in each of said cam-surfaces, a pin at each end of said bars arranged to contact With said cam-sur- 10 faces and spring said brackets apart as said above set forth I affix my signature, in pres- '15 ence of tWo Witnesses.

THOMAS E. SHEVILL. Witnesses J. G. Tron, CHARLES R. SEARLE. 

